If you’re keeping score, humanity loses another few points today with the creation of the S’More To Love rack which manages to simplify a ‘cooking’ process already easy enough for monkeys and dolphins to follow. And if your kitchen isn’t already filled with enough unitasking contraptions, the S’More To Love will be a welcome addition, particularly if the act of heating a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and graham crackers has you completely befuddled.
I’ll agree that starting a small camp fire in the kitchen sink just to make s’mores hasn’t always turned out the way I had hoped, but as an alternative the microwave does just as good job at heating the aforementioned ingredients without the risk of burning. Well, with less risk of burning. Of course as always I’ll leave it to you to decide if the $19.95 asking price is worth it, and it just might be if you think you’re as hopelessly inept as the actors appearing in this promotional video.
Health-conscious chronic snackers will appreciate the fact that Björg í bú’s Örflögur Microchips are simply baked, dried and seasoned with sea salt instead of being fried and doused in heavy flavoring. Particularly if they happen to be from Iceland since the potatoes used are exclusively Icelandic. But what I like is the clever packaging that transforms into its own serving bowl making them easier to share with friends and doing away with having to reach deep into an oily bag. Just don’t expect to find them at your local Piggly Wiggly just yet as the Microchips are only available in Iceland at this time.
Nestle’s Nespresso capsule-based coffee makers make it easy to brew up a single cup of coffee, tea or cocoa with minimal muss and fuss, but until now they’ve been relegated to taking up a chunk of counter space in your offices’s break room or kitchenette. Not any more though as Nestle has recently introduced the smallest member of the Nespresso family, appropriately called the PIXIE.
It works just like all the other machines in the line: you make sure the water reservoir isn’t empty, pop in one of the ingredient capsules, stick a cup or mug under the spout and wait for your beverage. But the smaller form factor means the PIXIE can sit right on your desk without gobbling up too much space, and the heating time before it’s reached the proper brew temperature has been reduced to just 25 seconds. An eternity to someone who really needs a caffeine fix, but conveniently quick for everyone else. It also uses about 40% less energy than similarly sized coffee makers, and is available from Williams-Sonoma for $249.95.
Instead of using steam or high-pressure water which isn’t always readily available if you’re out touring the countryside on a bike, the Airspresso just uses air pressure provided by your bike pump. All you need to add is coffee grounds, hot water and a little bit of manual labor and in no time at all you’ll have yourself a 120 ml shot of espresso. The Airspresso weighs just 250 grams so it’s easy to carry, and is made from durable sounding “anodised aerospace aluminum, engineering plastic and brass” because you can’t charge $180 when you just refer to it as metal and plastic.
To the untrained eye this hands-free sandwich holder might look suspiciously look like a re-purposed harmonica holder. But that kind of thinking only serves to take away from the brilliance of what could be the first great gadget of the 21st century. Don’t believe me? Try using your iPhone to hold a sandwich… Go ahead, try it! I think you’ll end up with the same results I did, and probably the same dubious stare from the genius at the Apple store. (Apparently that water sensor is just as adept at detecting mayo.)
I’ve no idea where one can buy one of these sadly, but since I’m convinced the inventor of the harmonica holder stole the idea from whoever created this, you might luck out and find something close at your local music store.
Like I mentioned yesterday, besides serving as easy last minute gifts or nerdy ways to cool your drinks, Fred & Friend’s catalog also has plenty for those who just can’t pay attention to anything longer than a minute or two. So for them this new Maze Café cup and saucer set will provide a few moments of distraction while they’re forced to endure coffee and conversation after a meal. The saucer features a raised maze detail allowing you to guide a drop of coffee or tea from the outer rim to the goal in the middle. It’s not terribly complicated, but let’s face it, anything more intricate and the target consumer would probably lose interest half-way to the goal. Available sometime this Spring, pricing TBA.
Fred & Friends always seems to have a way of making their novelty crap rise slightly above the other novelty crap you find at stores like Urban Outfitters. As a result, not only do you feel slightly less guilty about giving their stuff as last minute birthday presents, but somehow you also don’t feel as bad about owning 17 different novelty ice cube trays.
For instance, take this Switch salt and pepper shaker being introduced as part of their new 2011 lineup. There’s literally nothing wrong with the salt and pepper shakers I currently use, but for some reason I have the urge to chuck them out and replace them with this unified solution which uses a large toggle button on top for switching between shaking out pepper or salt. And while it’s no Peugeot pepper mill, the opportunity for hilarious hi-jinx when you swap the salt and pepper is really irresistible. Take that invited dinner guest suckers! Hahaha!
While I prefer the smell of fresh baked cookies coming from the kitchen, I think right now I might actually be picking up the distinct aroma of snake oil. For a mere $22.29 you can procure one of these 3-quart MixerMate bowls (in one of four different colors) that promises to reduce mixing time by up to 30% thanks to its unique funnel design which creates a “tornado-like action.”
There’s a couple of videos of the MixerMate in action on YouTube, but to be honest I’m not seeing their claimed tornado-like effect. However, I’ll admit the design of the bowl alone could actually justify its price if you tend to get food all over the place when your hand mixer comes out to play. It’s got extra high walls to keep everything contained and a footed non-slip base so there’s less chance of the bowl toppling when ingredients are spinning about inside. And the fact that all four sides are contoured into pouring spouts is pretty handy too. Just maybe not $22 handy…
As part of a campaign for their new “Hot ‘n Wholesome” breakfast menu, Caribou Coffee’s ad agency, Colle + McVoy, created these amazing bus shelter advertisements for the city of Minneapolis. Not only do they look like giant ovens, but the heating element on the roof actually works! So those waiting inside stay as toasty as the breakfast sandwiches appearing on the poster behind them.
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